It was a breezy evening, the autumn leaves raining down on 15-year-old
Hitomi Ikeda, as she walked home from school one day. Her feet trudged
loudly against the pavement, her worn-out boots clacking again and again,
giving Hitomi a headache. Hitomi checked her black-banded watch, a
horrified, yet impatient look dragging on her face, all the while, thinking
to herself, "Uchida-san is going to be so mad at me for being late again."
She couldn't stand the silence breaking clacking of her shoes, so Hitomi suddenly broke into a run. The wind blowing in her eyes, her contacts slipping out of view, Hitomi kept running, brushing her golden-brown hair out of her way. She dared not blink at all, all she could think of was how busted she'd be, and how Suzuki would lecture her about being late. Hitomi shook her head, getting the thought out of her head quickly and turned a sharp left, her bag slipping from her shoulder, flew into the street, where a black sports car with tinted windows was stopped.
Hitomi stopped, quickly rubbing her light pink and purple eyelids, and took a step back, catching her schoolbag just in time. "Looks like all those lessons with Makazu paid off," Hitomi thought to herself as she swung the bag over her shoulder and started sprinting once again, not noticing the black car had u-turned and was now following her. Her mind raced, the pale, dirty gold turtleneck-knit sweater starting to itch. She clawed for a second at her neck with her brown, oval nails, and then ran into a dully- painted gray building with a chipped wooden sign nailed on the wall that read "Hazomate Bottling Company" in bright red lettering.
"Uchida-san," Hitomi breathed, bowing slightly, brushing away the longer, darker brown strands of hair back, and raising her dark eyes to meet Suzuki Uchida's brighter ones, "I am sorry I am late."
Suzuki started, "I do not want to hear any other excuses-" The door opened loudly, slamming against the wall, Uchida-san jumping. Hitomi spun around, her found facing a man who was at least 6 feet tall with dark reddish-brown hair. With his hands in the pockets of his black cloak, he moved aside, and a rather thin girl with light blonde, almost white, hair, walked through, emerging from the light that blinded both Hitomi and Suzuki, who were gazing with slight confusion at the man and the girl.
The small girl had her hands together, holding something that was glowing a bright blue, spreading throughout the dark building. She walked up to Hitomi, who had abruptly dropped her schoolbag at the sight of the mysterious man, and held her hands up to Hitomi's nose, the top of her head barely reaching Hitomi's shoulders. The blue light shone even brighter, almost blinding Hitomi.
She tried to raise her hand to shield herself, but her hands seemed paralyzed, unable to move. "What is this?" she thought to herself.
The girl replied, reading her thoughts, "This is the dispel of a new legend, that you must fulfill." Hitomi's hands were forced to cup at her stomach, and the girl opened her hand, revealing a shining blue snake infused with a dragon, with a single silver sword stuck down the middle of them, forming an asterisk. Attached to it was a lengthy black cord, and a single strand of what seemed to be Hitomi's own hair, woven into the cord. The pendant dropped, the sword pointing down at Hitomi's palm. Hitomi tried to move her hands away, but they were frozen in place; she turned her head to face Uchida-san, but she had fallen unconscious and the mysterious man was carrying her over his shoulder.
The blade dug deep into her skin, cutting a small slit in each hand, the sword going down to the center of both her hands. The cut was beyond painful, and finally, Hitomi could move freely. She brought her hands directly away from each other, the piercing blue light growing wider as her hands grew further apart. The little girl was still standing there, as if not affected by the light, but the man had taken out sunglasses and was wincing slightly. The girl smiled wickedly, and a white symbol of five teardrops, meeting in the center, appeared under her feet. The light moved upward in jagged lines, and she disappeared.
Hitomi had fallen, the pendant attaching itself to her neck, the two slits in her hands still bleeding. The man dropped Suzuki, letting her roll off her shoulder, Uchida-san dropping with a thud on her side, and he picked up Hitomi, carried her out to the light, and started walking to the car.
The man opened his car door, and put in Hitomi gently, then got in on the other side and sped away, his tires screeching, burning rubber leaving black marks in the large, white pavilion. He removed his sunglasses, tossing them onto the dashboard, thoughts racing through his mind, his eyes glancing upon Hitomi every now and then.
"Tooya, do not fail, you must bring her back, bring the Tennyo back to her rightful order. If you don't you will never see Miyaru again." The words echoed through his head, his eyes growing out of focus.
He swiveled to a halt, spinning abruptly to the right, not paying attention to the red light, the single thought taking control of him. Hitomi's head hit the window sharply, but luckily, there was no damage to her head or the window. Tooya grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, her cheeks beyond rosy. It looked like all her blood had rushed to her cheeks, which were just about ready to burst.
Tooya slammed the brakes, putting his free hand on Hitomi's shoulder, her other shoulder and head dangling limply forward. Tooya sighed deeply and pushed her back. The traffic light turned green, and he slammed down on the gas pedal, speeding forward. After countless minutes, he arrived at a creamy yellow house, the lights still bright, and emerged from the hot car. Tooya walked to the other side and opened the door, Hitomi tumbling out, almost hitting the floor. Toya had caught her by the arm, and gently tugged upward and she lightly fell into his arms.
Tooya kicked the door closed, and carried Hitomi to the front door. A woman with short blue hair greeted Tooya warmly at the front door. Her hands covered in yellow silk, a small orange bow tied at the back, she led Tooya to the prepared room for Hitomi. She slid open the doors, Tooya entering and placing her tenderly on the Tatami mat, tossing the dark lavender blanket over her. He left quietly, and the mysterious woman took Hitomi's left hand out and laid on the side.
She took a wooden bowl and filled it with water, placing a large green leaflet in, poking at it with a small stick. Music was pounding in the room next door, and the voice of a young man was overruling the better-sounding bass. The woman put the stick down, letting the water turn slightly yellow, and crawled over to the side door, and slid it slightly open.
The room was slightly trashed, with crumpled papers scattered everywhere and posters of shabby guys and black swirls plastered the walls. It was cluttered, with large cases and boxes, full of CD's, books, tapes, and videos. A large chair was facing a boom box and a small television, and in front of the shelf, was a large mattress spread out on top of a Tatami mat. A young man with light brown hair was singing loudly, lying on the bed, his hands behind his head with his eyes closed.
"Yuuhi," the woman hissed loudly, but he didn't respond. "Yuuhi!" she called again, nothing. "YUUHI!! TURN THAT MUSIC OFF" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The guy jumped up, and on all fours, half hissed and half shouted, "SUZUMI, DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!!"
Suzumi smiled innocently and replied, "If you don't turn it down, I will." She pointed her finger at the boom box and poked the air, the music stopping immediately.
"Suzumi! I could 'a done that myself!" Yuuhi noted.
"So? I'm faster." She glared evilly at Yuuhi and bellowed, "Not another word." And she smiled and backed out, closing the door slowly, and then slamming it shut.
Suzumi retreated to the bowl, and removed the leaflet, placing Hitomi's hand in the bowl and covering the wound with the dark green leaf. Hitomi shuddered, though still unconscious, and tried to turn away, but Suzumi kept a firm grip on Hitomi's hand, and pressed down with her left hand, Hitomi's shoulder, which finally gave in as the pain eased away, and drifted back off to sleep.
Noticing a glint of glowing blue, Suzumi let Hitomi's hand drift in the bowl, the leaflet smoking a little, and picked up the pendant. There were two small stains of blood on the side of the little shining sword, some of the blue liquid in the dragon and snake on the bottom stained red, not blending with the blue. Suzumi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, seeing images of the past starting to take over her mind. She dropped the pendant and gripped her head falling forward, but she hit her hand to the floor, stopping herself, and pushing backward. Suzumi stood up, staggering backward and hitting the wall with a loud thud and falling to the side, the bowl holding Hitomi's hand turning into a deep, blushing crimson.
Yuuhi slid the door open, and saw Suzumi with her face screwed up, laying on the floor, with her hands covering her ears. "Suzumi!" Yuuhi exclaimed and hustled over to help her. He slapped her slightly, but she didn't revive, her face still hunched together. Yuuhi carried Suzumi to her room, and laid her down on her bed, slipping a light green liquid down her throat, her face relaxing. Yuuhi left Suzumi to sleep, and went back to see Hitomi.
He noticed the water in the bowl turning bloody, so he took another bowl from the small stack on the side, and placed Hitomi's hand in the empty one, pouring the original one over her hand. Yuuhi then removed her hand and peeled off the leaf, wrapping the wound in a white cloth, tying it with a firm knot. He edged to the other side, doing the same to her right hand, and sitting there, eyes focused on the water.
After about ten minutes, the water became bloody again, and taking an empty bowl, poured the liquid over Hitomi's hand and removed the leaf, tying the cloth around the wound. Yuuhi took the four used bowls, and two wet leaves, and carefully left the room, using his foot to close the door, and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner and clean up the medicine.
Yuuhi took his Walkman and started listening to music, taking numerous food from the refrigerator and washing them. Tooya entered the kitchen silently, and sat on a stool by the counter, putting his elbows on the wooden surface and going into deep thought. Yuuhi's cooking overwhelmed the house, as Tooya got up a few minutes later and left, recovering to his room.
Tooya collapsed on his bed and drew into deeper thought, his eyes focused on a spot on the ceiling marked black. Suddenly, he heard a slight shout coming from Suzumi's room, and he got up and went to see what had happened. Tooya slid the door open and saw Suzumi being pinned down by three men in black suits. They didn't seem to notice Tooya open the door; Tooya glanced down the hall and saw Yuuhi knocked out cold, the knife he was using stuck in the cutting board he was using.
Tooya burst in, his knife escaping his cuff, and cut two men who had attempted to attack him. Suzumi focused her powers on the large goggles one was trying to put on her, and she screwed up her face, but eventually, the man flew back into the wall, the mask smashed to bits and pieces on the floor. Three men left, they all attacked Tooya after knocking Suzumi out with the back of one of their guns.
The three men took out their guns, trying to shoot Tooya, but he jumped up, and threw his small knife at one of the men's arms, piercing it deeply, and then pulled it out and punched him hard in the stomach. Tooya was shot briskly in the arm, and jammed his knife into one man's leg, near his butt, and he screeched in pain. Suzumi grew conscious again, and elbowed the man who was about to shoot Tooya in the head, in the back, and he fell. Suzumi picked up his gun and one man left, blood staining from the back of his pants. "N...no!" he shouted, and sprinted through them, Suzumi shooting the gun at his chest, and Tooya digging his knife into the man's right arm. The man fell to the ground, Tooya quickly removed his knife, and the man muttered under his last breath, "They won't let you get away with that." And he died; his eyes open wide, staring at Tooya, who wiped a bit of blood from his mouth with the cuff of his right sleeve.
Suzumi solemnly said, "We'd better get that arm fixed up." As she saw Tooya grip his arm with his right hand. They went to the kitchen, where Suzumi dragged Yuuhi to a chair and let him sleep heavily, and she removed bandages, some powder, and a dried black leaf from a high cabinet. She had Tooya sit on the counter, and remove his jacket, which he unwillingly did, so she just had Tooya remove the left sleeve.
Suzumi took the powder and dumped some in her fingertips, and pressed it firmly against the wound. Tooya winced slightly, but did not say anything. Then, Suzumi took the black leaf and put a few drips of water on it, and pressed it against the soaking powder and wound, and wrapped the bandage tightly around the leaf. "There we go," Suzumi said breathlessly.
Tooya jumped down and left, for he was a man of little words. Suzumi suddenly remember Hitomi, and she rushed to her room, and saw Hitomi's hands bound with bandages. She smiled to herself and reminded herself to thank Yuuhi for taking care of Hitomi. Suzumi saw Hitomi squirm slightly, and suddenly random cuts were bruised across her face and ripped into her arms and legs, the blanket slowly stained with blood. Suzumi gasped, horrified, and removed the blankets, eyeing the pendant. Hitomi gasped, her neck cricking upward and her eyes opening wide, glowing slightly. She lay there, eyes opened wide and not moving or breathing at all.
Suzumi check her pulse by feeling a spot in her neck, still a heartbeat. She sighed temporarily and left to get some medicine for Hitomi. "What is going on here?" Suzumi thought to herself, as she removed a cup and a green liquid from the cabinet. As she turned around, Hitomi was standing there in a black shading, eyes glowing and pendant shining brighter than ever; Suzumi backed up against the wall as Hitomi's hands clawed at her neck.
She couldn't stand the silence breaking clacking of her shoes, so Hitomi suddenly broke into a run. The wind blowing in her eyes, her contacts slipping out of view, Hitomi kept running, brushing her golden-brown hair out of her way. She dared not blink at all, all she could think of was how busted she'd be, and how Suzuki would lecture her about being late. Hitomi shook her head, getting the thought out of her head quickly and turned a sharp left, her bag slipping from her shoulder, flew into the street, where a black sports car with tinted windows was stopped.
Hitomi stopped, quickly rubbing her light pink and purple eyelids, and took a step back, catching her schoolbag just in time. "Looks like all those lessons with Makazu paid off," Hitomi thought to herself as she swung the bag over her shoulder and started sprinting once again, not noticing the black car had u-turned and was now following her. Her mind raced, the pale, dirty gold turtleneck-knit sweater starting to itch. She clawed for a second at her neck with her brown, oval nails, and then ran into a dully- painted gray building with a chipped wooden sign nailed on the wall that read "Hazomate Bottling Company" in bright red lettering.
"Uchida-san," Hitomi breathed, bowing slightly, brushing away the longer, darker brown strands of hair back, and raising her dark eyes to meet Suzuki Uchida's brighter ones, "I am sorry I am late."
Suzuki started, "I do not want to hear any other excuses-" The door opened loudly, slamming against the wall, Uchida-san jumping. Hitomi spun around, her found facing a man who was at least 6 feet tall with dark reddish-brown hair. With his hands in the pockets of his black cloak, he moved aside, and a rather thin girl with light blonde, almost white, hair, walked through, emerging from the light that blinded both Hitomi and Suzuki, who were gazing with slight confusion at the man and the girl.
The small girl had her hands together, holding something that was glowing a bright blue, spreading throughout the dark building. She walked up to Hitomi, who had abruptly dropped her schoolbag at the sight of the mysterious man, and held her hands up to Hitomi's nose, the top of her head barely reaching Hitomi's shoulders. The blue light shone even brighter, almost blinding Hitomi.
She tried to raise her hand to shield herself, but her hands seemed paralyzed, unable to move. "What is this?" she thought to herself.
The girl replied, reading her thoughts, "This is the dispel of a new legend, that you must fulfill." Hitomi's hands were forced to cup at her stomach, and the girl opened her hand, revealing a shining blue snake infused with a dragon, with a single silver sword stuck down the middle of them, forming an asterisk. Attached to it was a lengthy black cord, and a single strand of what seemed to be Hitomi's own hair, woven into the cord. The pendant dropped, the sword pointing down at Hitomi's palm. Hitomi tried to move her hands away, but they were frozen in place; she turned her head to face Uchida-san, but she had fallen unconscious and the mysterious man was carrying her over his shoulder.
The blade dug deep into her skin, cutting a small slit in each hand, the sword going down to the center of both her hands. The cut was beyond painful, and finally, Hitomi could move freely. She brought her hands directly away from each other, the piercing blue light growing wider as her hands grew further apart. The little girl was still standing there, as if not affected by the light, but the man had taken out sunglasses and was wincing slightly. The girl smiled wickedly, and a white symbol of five teardrops, meeting in the center, appeared under her feet. The light moved upward in jagged lines, and she disappeared.
Hitomi had fallen, the pendant attaching itself to her neck, the two slits in her hands still bleeding. The man dropped Suzuki, letting her roll off her shoulder, Uchida-san dropping with a thud on her side, and he picked up Hitomi, carried her out to the light, and started walking to the car.
The man opened his car door, and put in Hitomi gently, then got in on the other side and sped away, his tires screeching, burning rubber leaving black marks in the large, white pavilion. He removed his sunglasses, tossing them onto the dashboard, thoughts racing through his mind, his eyes glancing upon Hitomi every now and then.
"Tooya, do not fail, you must bring her back, bring the Tennyo back to her rightful order. If you don't you will never see Miyaru again." The words echoed through his head, his eyes growing out of focus.
He swiveled to a halt, spinning abruptly to the right, not paying attention to the red light, the single thought taking control of him. Hitomi's head hit the window sharply, but luckily, there was no damage to her head or the window. Tooya grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, her cheeks beyond rosy. It looked like all her blood had rushed to her cheeks, which were just about ready to burst.
Tooya slammed the brakes, putting his free hand on Hitomi's shoulder, her other shoulder and head dangling limply forward. Tooya sighed deeply and pushed her back. The traffic light turned green, and he slammed down on the gas pedal, speeding forward. After countless minutes, he arrived at a creamy yellow house, the lights still bright, and emerged from the hot car. Tooya walked to the other side and opened the door, Hitomi tumbling out, almost hitting the floor. Toya had caught her by the arm, and gently tugged upward and she lightly fell into his arms.
Tooya kicked the door closed, and carried Hitomi to the front door. A woman with short blue hair greeted Tooya warmly at the front door. Her hands covered in yellow silk, a small orange bow tied at the back, she led Tooya to the prepared room for Hitomi. She slid open the doors, Tooya entering and placing her tenderly on the Tatami mat, tossing the dark lavender blanket over her. He left quietly, and the mysterious woman took Hitomi's left hand out and laid on the side.
She took a wooden bowl and filled it with water, placing a large green leaflet in, poking at it with a small stick. Music was pounding in the room next door, and the voice of a young man was overruling the better-sounding bass. The woman put the stick down, letting the water turn slightly yellow, and crawled over to the side door, and slid it slightly open.
The room was slightly trashed, with crumpled papers scattered everywhere and posters of shabby guys and black swirls plastered the walls. It was cluttered, with large cases and boxes, full of CD's, books, tapes, and videos. A large chair was facing a boom box and a small television, and in front of the shelf, was a large mattress spread out on top of a Tatami mat. A young man with light brown hair was singing loudly, lying on the bed, his hands behind his head with his eyes closed.
"Yuuhi," the woman hissed loudly, but he didn't respond. "Yuuhi!" she called again, nothing. "YUUHI!! TURN THAT MUSIC OFF" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The guy jumped up, and on all fours, half hissed and half shouted, "SUZUMI, DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!!"
Suzumi smiled innocently and replied, "If you don't turn it down, I will." She pointed her finger at the boom box and poked the air, the music stopping immediately.
"Suzumi! I could 'a done that myself!" Yuuhi noted.
"So? I'm faster." She glared evilly at Yuuhi and bellowed, "Not another word." And she smiled and backed out, closing the door slowly, and then slamming it shut.
Suzumi retreated to the bowl, and removed the leaflet, placing Hitomi's hand in the bowl and covering the wound with the dark green leaf. Hitomi shuddered, though still unconscious, and tried to turn away, but Suzumi kept a firm grip on Hitomi's hand, and pressed down with her left hand, Hitomi's shoulder, which finally gave in as the pain eased away, and drifted back off to sleep.
Noticing a glint of glowing blue, Suzumi let Hitomi's hand drift in the bowl, the leaflet smoking a little, and picked up the pendant. There were two small stains of blood on the side of the little shining sword, some of the blue liquid in the dragon and snake on the bottom stained red, not blending with the blue. Suzumi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, seeing images of the past starting to take over her mind. She dropped the pendant and gripped her head falling forward, but she hit her hand to the floor, stopping herself, and pushing backward. Suzumi stood up, staggering backward and hitting the wall with a loud thud and falling to the side, the bowl holding Hitomi's hand turning into a deep, blushing crimson.
Yuuhi slid the door open, and saw Suzumi with her face screwed up, laying on the floor, with her hands covering her ears. "Suzumi!" Yuuhi exclaimed and hustled over to help her. He slapped her slightly, but she didn't revive, her face still hunched together. Yuuhi carried Suzumi to her room, and laid her down on her bed, slipping a light green liquid down her throat, her face relaxing. Yuuhi left Suzumi to sleep, and went back to see Hitomi.
He noticed the water in the bowl turning bloody, so he took another bowl from the small stack on the side, and placed Hitomi's hand in the empty one, pouring the original one over her hand. Yuuhi then removed her hand and peeled off the leaf, wrapping the wound in a white cloth, tying it with a firm knot. He edged to the other side, doing the same to her right hand, and sitting there, eyes focused on the water.
After about ten minutes, the water became bloody again, and taking an empty bowl, poured the liquid over Hitomi's hand and removed the leaf, tying the cloth around the wound. Yuuhi took the four used bowls, and two wet leaves, and carefully left the room, using his foot to close the door, and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner and clean up the medicine.
Yuuhi took his Walkman and started listening to music, taking numerous food from the refrigerator and washing them. Tooya entered the kitchen silently, and sat on a stool by the counter, putting his elbows on the wooden surface and going into deep thought. Yuuhi's cooking overwhelmed the house, as Tooya got up a few minutes later and left, recovering to his room.
Tooya collapsed on his bed and drew into deeper thought, his eyes focused on a spot on the ceiling marked black. Suddenly, he heard a slight shout coming from Suzumi's room, and he got up and went to see what had happened. Tooya slid the door open and saw Suzumi being pinned down by three men in black suits. They didn't seem to notice Tooya open the door; Tooya glanced down the hall and saw Yuuhi knocked out cold, the knife he was using stuck in the cutting board he was using.
Tooya burst in, his knife escaping his cuff, and cut two men who had attempted to attack him. Suzumi focused her powers on the large goggles one was trying to put on her, and she screwed up her face, but eventually, the man flew back into the wall, the mask smashed to bits and pieces on the floor. Three men left, they all attacked Tooya after knocking Suzumi out with the back of one of their guns.
The three men took out their guns, trying to shoot Tooya, but he jumped up, and threw his small knife at one of the men's arms, piercing it deeply, and then pulled it out and punched him hard in the stomach. Tooya was shot briskly in the arm, and jammed his knife into one man's leg, near his butt, and he screeched in pain. Suzumi grew conscious again, and elbowed the man who was about to shoot Tooya in the head, in the back, and he fell. Suzumi picked up his gun and one man left, blood staining from the back of his pants. "N...no!" he shouted, and sprinted through them, Suzumi shooting the gun at his chest, and Tooya digging his knife into the man's right arm. The man fell to the ground, Tooya quickly removed his knife, and the man muttered under his last breath, "They won't let you get away with that." And he died; his eyes open wide, staring at Tooya, who wiped a bit of blood from his mouth with the cuff of his right sleeve.
Suzumi solemnly said, "We'd better get that arm fixed up." As she saw Tooya grip his arm with his right hand. They went to the kitchen, where Suzumi dragged Yuuhi to a chair and let him sleep heavily, and she removed bandages, some powder, and a dried black leaf from a high cabinet. She had Tooya sit on the counter, and remove his jacket, which he unwillingly did, so she just had Tooya remove the left sleeve.
Suzumi took the powder and dumped some in her fingertips, and pressed it firmly against the wound. Tooya winced slightly, but did not say anything. Then, Suzumi took the black leaf and put a few drips of water on it, and pressed it against the soaking powder and wound, and wrapped the bandage tightly around the leaf. "There we go," Suzumi said breathlessly.
Tooya jumped down and left, for he was a man of little words. Suzumi suddenly remember Hitomi, and she rushed to her room, and saw Hitomi's hands bound with bandages. She smiled to herself and reminded herself to thank Yuuhi for taking care of Hitomi. Suzumi saw Hitomi squirm slightly, and suddenly random cuts were bruised across her face and ripped into her arms and legs, the blanket slowly stained with blood. Suzumi gasped, horrified, and removed the blankets, eyeing the pendant. Hitomi gasped, her neck cricking upward and her eyes opening wide, glowing slightly. She lay there, eyes opened wide and not moving or breathing at all.
Suzumi check her pulse by feeling a spot in her neck, still a heartbeat. She sighed temporarily and left to get some medicine for Hitomi. "What is going on here?" Suzumi thought to herself, as she removed a cup and a green liquid from the cabinet. As she turned around, Hitomi was standing there in a black shading, eyes glowing and pendant shining brighter than ever; Suzumi backed up against the wall as Hitomi's hands clawed at her neck.